


I Should Have Made You Promise Too

by Uninhabitable



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Gen, Heavy Angst, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 16:49:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16288241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uninhabitable/pseuds/Uninhabitable
Summary: :)





	I Should Have Made You Promise Too

Donnie jumped in surprise as his door was flung open carelessly. He had little time to register what was happening before a bundle of green and orange bolted in the room, flinging himself into Donnie's arms and sobbing in relief and unconcious fear. 

"Mikey?" Donnie asked softly, though he already clearly knew the answer. When the younger turtle showed no signs of replying, Donnie just silently wrapped his long arms around Mikey's quivering form, his brain doing a subconscious analysis of his younger brother.

First thing that came to Don's attention was the warm tears leaking from Mikey's red and puffy eyes, as well the hyperventilating breathing that hadn't seems to slow down since Mikey burst into his room minutes ago.

Donnie quickly came up with a solution for the second problem. The genius turtle forced himself to dramatically slow down his own breathing, keeping it steady and strong. A few moments of this past before Mike started trying to imitate the steady up and down pattern of Don's chest. As he forcefully halted his rapid heaving, his mind seemed to simmer down and blank out as his entire body started relaxing.

Next came Donatello's question.

"Nightmare?" He asked softly, rubbing soothing circles on the orange-banded turtles shell in an attempt to comfort his panicked brother.

A simple nod and continued sobbing was his only answer.

And by now, Donnie could click the pieces together. Mikey only ever came to one of their rooms if he had terrible nightmare or if his room's heater was broken. And the purple-clad turtle had a pretty sure prediction that it was about their brothers, by the way Mikey was clutching Donnie, as if afraid that if he let go, Don would slip away.

"Mikey, I'm okay." Ignoring Mikey's 'how-did-you-know' expression, Donnie continued. 

"Leo'a okay. Raph's okay. April's fine. We're all here and safe." He whispered confidently, continuing to rub Mikey's shell.

"B-but-"

"Micheal, look at me." Don cupped Mikey's hesitant face, forcing him to meet the latter's steady and calm gaze. Donnie could still see unshed tears shining in Mikey's big eyes, and even though Donnie would never admit it, it broke his heart to see his baby brother distressed like this.

"Do I look dead?"

Mikey's breath hitched at the question, flashes of broken bodies from his most recent nightmare running through his head as he tried focusing on his older brother.

Seeing Mikey begin to hyperventilate again, Donnie sighed and embraced Mikey again, shushing him like a mother would to her crying child. He whispered encouraging words that helped Mikey force the disturbing pictures of his dead brothers out of his head, as he continued to follow his genius brothers instructions.

"Now, Mike, do I look dead?"

Even though the pained expression that crossed his youngest brothers face tore him on the inside, Donnie knew that the only way Michelangelo would see that his nightmare was just a disturbing figment if his imagination was to be as blunt as possible.

"N-no..." Mikey started, eyes downcast.

"Then you know it was all a false illusion. A bad dream." The purple-wearing reptile explained, coaxing his now relished sibling.

"You know that we'll never leave you, right?"

Uncertainty was Donnie's only received response.

Pulling Mikey into a tight hug, Donnie tightened his hold on his distressed brother, determined to make Mikey realize he wasn't alone.

"Mikey, I promise,  I'll never leave you." He whispered, and even though Mikey's reply was almost inaudible, it still put a smile on the older turtles face.

_"Thanks Dee"_

...

Donnie didn't understand. 

It felt like eons ago that he made his promise to Mikey. In fact, Donnie  _felt_ nothing but a strange, warm sensation pooling below him. Eyes trailing downwards, Donnie'a gaze was met with thick, warm, crimson liquid that stained his scales and coated his hands.

Hadn't he promised to Mikey he wouldn't leave him?

And why wasn't he hurting?

_Why was Mikey lying so cold and still in his arms._

Donnie let out a shallow laugh.

"Good one Mikey, but I'm afraid your little prank has no affect on me.

Silence. That was strange.

"Remember how I promised you I wouldn't leave you?" Donnie's voice cracked, and he cradled his silent brother as he unconciously felt Leo and Raph approaching. He heard Leo suddenly wail in despair, and Raph gasp, but he didn't even look back. Tears stung his eyes as he buried his face into Mikey's bloody plastron, ignoring the open, bleeding wound in his baby brother's stomach.

"I should have made you promised too."

**Author's Note:**

> :)


End file.
